Morgan, You Go Long
by P.J. Murphy
Summary: Ellie invites everyone to Chicago for Thanksgiving Weekend, and a spirited game of football ensues. Uses characters from "Jen Burton: Spy Girl." Family and fluff.


_This is the Thanksgiving story I wanted to submit. Ten days ago. Unfortunately, a lot of things happened during that time, not the least of which was getting in an auto accident (other driver's fault) who didn't have insurance, a few new medical bills, and trying to get my car to pass inspection before the deadline. (which I did...barely) So I apologize for this being late. Hopefully you still like it._

_I drew on my youth experiences for this one. We used to go to Sarkis' restaurant every Thanksgiving morning to eat before playing football with some of the people I used to caddie with. Naturally, I was always told to "go long" or stay in to block. In all that time, I only caught one touchdown...and wrecked my knee on the play. I thought this would make for a cute Thanksgiving story. And I found what might be the worst way to tick off Ellie: not let her cook Thanksgiving dinner. (I am truly evil.)_

_I used the **Spy Girl** AU for one reason: to get enough players on the field. I'll do something different for my Christmas Cheer Fic Challenge story._

Please leave reviews and don't forget about the Chuck FanFiction site on Facebook. Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season!

* * *

_**Sarkis' Restaurant – Evanston, IL  
November 28, 2019  
9:15 AM CST**_

"Ohhhhhh…"

Ellie would have been absolutely furious…if she wasn't so damn full. What was Devon thinking? What was her ENTIRE FAMILY thinking?

She was so excited. She had been walking on a cloud for close to a month. She somehow managed to get everybody to Chicago for Thanksgiving weekend and was looking forward to cooking the biggest Thanksgiving dinner she ever had for people she loved so much.

Then she got submarined by both the Bartowski and Walker clans.

She figured the hard part would be getting everyone to attend. Morgan and Alex McHugh were the easiest ones to invite. Hell, Morgan practically begged and pleaded to go. Getting the cast of _**Spy Team One**_ to be there…not to mention coaxing Chuck and Sarah to take a few days off from paradise in the Bahamas to join her in the frigid cold of the Windy City…would be the tough part. But once Morgan and Alex were on board, the dominoes began to fall. Morgan asked if his mother could also join the party so she wouldn't be alone at Thanksgiving…which prompted Big Mike to be invited as well. Casey decided to accept the invitation…undoubtedly to keep as much physical distance between Morgan and his daughter, Alex, as he could…and Ilsa joined him on the trip. Ilsa relayed this information to Jimmy Slade and Cole Barker, both of whom figured they would be needed to prevent Casey from being arrested for murdering Morgan. And since Alex Forrest's brother and his family were in Orlando, plus Carina wanting a break from L.A., the two of them joined their boyfriends on the trip. Everything was in place.

Then Mary Bartowski and Emma Walker, with Devon's blessing, adopted the philosophy of "go big or go home."

Since it was the first time everyone would be together for Thanksgiving, they decided they should rent a dining room in a posh hotel a few miles from Ellie and Devon's house. Mary had a number of connections she had established since the CIA bought her a luxury apartment in Lincoln Park to be near her granddaughter, and now the family feast would be catered by one of the best chefs in Chicago. They also took Devon's suggestion to reserve a room inside the tavern at the hotel so the guys could drink beer and watch the Bears-Lions game first. Both Molly and Clara were excited for that; they even wore personalized football jerseys, Bears hats, and they made mustaches to wear like the one Mike Ditka used to have.

All Ellie had to do was show up and enjoy herself. She was livid.

Unfortunately, she was a majority of one. Everybody else was all-in on Mary and Emma's plans.

"Devon, how are we supposed to play football after eating all of this?" she groaned as everyone finished with their platter-sized omelets and Sarkis' famous 'disaster sausage'.

"It takes a while to get up to speed, but the food actually works for you," Devon replied, as low energy as he ever had been following such a delicious repast. "That's what the guys in my department said."

"I can't even open my eyes, I'm so exhausted!" Ellie struggled to keep her head above her shoulders.

"Now you know where most of my youth weight came from," Jimmy Slade quipped.

Alex Forrest rolled her eyes. "I'd smack you upside the head if I could lift my arm," she droned.

"Haven't you been here before?" Ilsa asked.

"Several times," Ellie replied. "Mom was babysitting Clara overnight for us one time, and we were going to meet up at the zoo around noontime, so we decided to have breakfast here first. Our neighbors told us about Sarkis'." She gave a little smile. "Between the food and all of the pictures and the diner feel of the place, we just became addicted to it. Of course, we had to wait a couple of years before Clara was old enough to eat here, but then she was hooked on it, too."

"This place is SO great!" Clara exclaimed. She then pointed to a picture of Sarkis. "And we heard all of these stories about Mr. Sarkis!"

"A lot of our neighbors had met the man while he was still running the place," Ellie continued. "Always had a smile for everyone, greeted them so warmly. They really miss him around here. It actually made the news when he passed away a couple of years ago. He's a legend in this area."

A waiter brought up the bill. "Who gets the check?"

"I DO!" everyone replied at the same time.

Sarah shook her head and laughed. "I'll take Things That Don't Shock Me for $400, Alex."

Mary snatched the check from the waiter's hand. "I'm paying for this, and not a word from anybody." The stern look she gave everyone made them agree immediately. After all, it was never a good idea to tick off an ex-assassin.

"Was that…humor…I just heard coming from you, Walker?" Casey asked…complete with an extra helping of sarcasm.

"Retirement has been very good for her health," Chuck replied with a shrug and a smile.

"And I'm sure you're not suffering, either, Chuckie," Carina replied with her traditional libidinous tone.

"Annnd…on that note…" Chuck gave an evil glance towards Carina, "who's ready for some football?"

"I am! I am!" both Molly and Clara shouted.

"Everyone know the directions to the school?" Emma asked, to which everyone nodded. Mary finished signing for the check as everybody filed out of Sarkis' and headed to their cars.

_**Springman Middle School – Glenview, IL  
November 28, 2019  
9:30 AM CST**_

Casey and Jimmy set up the cones on the field while Big Mike checked the football to make sure it was properly inflated, giving it a few punches for good measure. Mary and Emma set up a pair of patio chairs on the sidelines to watch all the action.

"Who are the captains?" Cole asked.

"Since they managed to get all of us here, I say our host and hostess with the mostest," Chuck replied, pointing to Ellie and Devon.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, sweetie?" Ellie asked, Devon the food clearly having kicked in now.

"Babe, you're gonna score less points than you did on your GMAT," Devon countered.

"Your trash-talking is so nasty," Casey said in a sarcastic monotone.

"You pick first, El."

"Then you pick two, and then I'll pick two. And we have to choose one male and one female to keep it fair."

Devon looked over at who would be playing. "Not a problem," he said with an evil smirk.

"I got John Casey," Ellie said excitedly, pointing at him. Casey walked behind her.

"And I have two picks now?" Ellie nodded, and Devon scanned the group. "I'll take Jimmy and Sarah."

Sarah and Jimmy went over by Devon while Ellie consulted with Casey. "Alex Forrest and Chuck."

"I said Cole, not Chuck," Casey whispered to Ellie.

"Trust me, we communicate very well," Ellie whispered back.

"You also hide it very well."

Devon consulted with Sarah and Jimmy. "We'll take Cole and Alex McHugh."

"And we'll take Carina and Big Mike."

"We'll take Ilsa," Devon said. He looked at the ones remaining: Morgan, Molly, and Clara. He had to pick one more.

"Should we keep Clara and Molly together?" Ilsa asked. "I'm sure they're good, but they'd be playing with a bunch of adults."

"That seems fair," Ellie replied. "Girls, do you want to be on the same team?" she asked them.

"Yes!" both of them shouted excitedly.

"Then you're on our team," Devon said, and they rushed over to hug their dad and uncle.

"And…I get picked last." Morgan shuffled over to Ellie's team in complete shame.

"Technically, we didn't pick you; we're stuck with you," Casey answered, twisting the knife even further.

"Casey!" Chuck exclaimed. "Come on, Morgan. We know you have the talent."

"I don't see anybody else carrying an X-Box controller, Bartowski."

"It'll be fine," Ellie interjected, trying to play peacemaker. "Let's play."

The two teams spread out, with Ellie's team kicking off to Devon's. Casey threw a hard spiral, and Devon caught it. He sprinted out of his end zone. Just as Chuck was about to tag him, he flipped the ball behind him to Jimmy, who was running a crossing pattern. Jimmy took it up the sidelines, just missing tackles by Carina and Forrest, to score the opening touchdown.

"Yeah, baby!" he shouted in glee as he spiked the ball and high-fived with his teammates.

"And that means…losers walk," Devon smugly announced to Ellie, who slowly made her way down the field with the rest of her team.

"Don't sweat it, sis," Chuck said. "We're getting that back right now." He pulled everybody to discuss a play.

Both teams lined up, and Devon threw a long spiral for the kickoff. Casey caught it in the end zone. Jimmy and Cole charged him, but Casey threw a lateral to Ellie while Big Mike ran a pick play to effectively screen Jimmy and Cole out. Ellie got five steps before Devon got ready to tag her. She reached back with the ball, and Chuck took it from her. He turned the corner…and got tagged by Sarah.

"You actually thought we would fall for that?" she taunted with a big grin.

"Tell me again why we're together?" Chuck exhaled in frustration.

"You find me cute beyond words," Sarah teased, batting her eyelashes at him.

Ellie's team huddled for their first offensive play. "Chuck, run an out pattern right," Casey said, drawing the play on his hand. "Carina, Forrest, line up in the slot and get ten yards out. Ellie, you and Mike are in to block. Ellie, when they hit the five-count, fade out right just in case I need to dump it off."

"Wait, what about me?" Morgan asked.

"You go long," Casey replied.

"And then what?"

"That's it. Go long."

Both teams got to the line of scrimmage, Morgan sulking to his spot.

"Set! Hut!" Casey dropped back.

Ellie and Big Mike kept an eye on Ilsa, Molly, and Clara, who were ready to charge. "One thousand! Two thousand! Three thousand!" the girls counted.

Jimmy backpedaled to cover Chuck and charged forward when Chuck gave away his route. Sarah, Devon, and Cole played zone and had Forrest and Carina covered. Morgan was wide open in the end zone.

"Five thousand!"

Ilsa, Molly, and Clara charged in. Casey rolled to his left to avoid them. Big Mike screened off Ilsa, but Molly and Clara just missed tagging Casey as he dumped off the ball. Ellie leaped to grab it, but it was just past her outstretched hands.

"Sorry, John," she said quietly as they huddled.

"Not your fault. It happens," Casey replied gently.

"Dude, I was wide open," Morgan protested.

"What's your point?" Casey retorted not-so-gently.

"It's fine, it's fine," Chuck said quickly to avoid a bad situation. "Case, let's stack Carina, Ellie, and me on one side, and we break in three different directions. Make them commit to one or two of us. Forrest, play like Ellie just played. Fade out at five thousand and look for the dump off."

"What about me?" Morgan asked.

Chuck hesitated. "You go long."

The teams line up again. Casey dropped back and Molly and Clara counted. But at four thousand, Ilsa dropped back into coverage and Alex McHugh sprinted forward, crossing the line of scrimmage just as the girls yelled five thousand. Big Mike couldn't catch her and Casey threw a desperation toss. Alex leaped up and knocked her father's pass down.

She sprinted back and jumped in the air to high-five Devon. "Good call, boss," she beamed.

"Dammit!" Casey said…and instantly regretted it. "You didn't hear that," he told Molly and Clara.

"We've heard you say worse on the show, Uncle Case," Molly teased.

"Hey, hey, the show is rated TV-14."

"But I am fourteen."

"Really?"

Molly nodded. "Why is that a shock? You have a thirty-year-old daughter. She even has a boyfriend," she said, pointing at Morgan.

"Yeah, and thanks for reminding me," Casey growled.

"OK, come on!" Ellie said as the team huddled. "It's third down and forever!"

Casey huffed. "Mike, how's that arm?"

"Four years of semi-pro ball after I left the Navy!" he announced proudly.

"You were a lineman," Morgan replied.

"Close enough," Casey said quickly. "You three run the same pattern as before. Make them chase you. Mike, drop back on the snap. I'll run in front of you and hand off the ball. I'll run a post pattern down the left. Ellie, you gotta screen everyone out on this one. Morgan, you go long."

"This is ridiculous!" Morgan was not happy, to say the least. "Can I just stay in and block this time? At least I'd be doing something."

Casey rolled his eyes. "Fine. Ellie, line up opposite of those three and cross inside for the short dump off."

The teams lined up. Morgan looked like he had just downed a case of Red Bull.

"Set! Hut!"

Molly and Clara started counting. Big Mike dropped back several steps as everyone else ran their routes. Casey suddenly ran to his left, giving the ball to Big Mike. He went into a full sprint…and crashed into Morgan. Both hit the ground as Big Mike was easily tagged by Ilsa, Molly, and Clara.

"Idiot!" Casey snarled.

"Chuck told me to block," Morgan protested.

"Yeah, and you did a great job…for THEM!"

Ellie's team punted, and Devon's team went on offense.

"Let me guess: I go long," Morgan spat.

"Morgan, no," Ellie replied far more gently than Casey did…which certainly didn't take much effort. "Just stay in and rush the quarterback with Mike."

Devon dropped back while Sarah and Cole ran down the right side. Ilsa ran a post route while Alex cut inside, and Devon threw a tight spiral to her. She caught it, but just before Casey tried to tag her, she lateraled to Jimmy…who was immediately tagged by Forrest. She grabbed the ball and waved it in his face.

"Oooh, tackled by a girl!" Forrest teased. "I knew you guys would run that play."

"Easy, Monica," Jimmy ground out.

Devon got everyone together. "OK, I have a great idea…"

The teams lined up again, but Devon's team lined up packed in the middle. Nobody was out wide.

"Hut!"

Cole snapped him the ball, and everyone else scattered into the secondary. Cole remained behind to block, but Ellie's team couldn't figure out who should cover whom.

"Just like I designed it," Devon said quietly with a grin as he threw the ball. Molly caught it running down the sidelines, and not a single player from Ellie's team had covered her. Chuck and Carina tried to sprint that way to tag her before she reached the end zone, but she flipped the ball to Clara, who was running next to her. Clara scored the touchdown, and Devon's team celebrated.

"Great call, Daddy!" Clara screamed as she hugged Devon and high-fived with the rest of the team. On the sidelines, both Mary and Emma beamed at that. Even everyone on Ellie's team had to smile at the girls' enthusiasm.

**~/^\~**

The game continued back and forth, but Ellie's team managed to tie it up thanks to a few trick plays Casey and Forrest had thought of. Devon's team had the ball, and it was getting close to 11:00 AM. Everybody would need time to shower and get to the hotel. Ellie's team needed to get the ball back and right now.

Devon dropped back to pass and sent a spiral to Cole, who was running a crossing route. But Carina timed it perfectly, pushing off of Cole's shoulder to leap up and deflected the ball. Ellie dove and caught it before it hit the ground to make the interception.

"Hey, isn't that supposed to be pass interference?" Cole protested.

"Go cry to Ed Hochuli," Carina taunted. "Our ball!"

"It's a minute to eleven!" Mary called from the sidelines. "This will have to be the last play if we want to get to the hotel on time!"

"OK, huddle up," Casey said. "Mike, keep everybody off of me. The rest of you, pair up and get down the field fast. Go Cal-Stanford, if necessary, to get to that end zone. And Grimes…"

"Yeah, yeah, I go long," he muttered.

The teams lined up. Big Mike hiked the ball to Casey, who immediately rolled out as Ilsa, Molly, and Clara counted. Everybody was covered downfield, and Casey had to roll back right as the count hit five thousand. Chuck did a head fake on Cole and got a step ahead. Casey threw the ball up in desperation just before Ilsa tagged him. The ball flew through the air to Chuck.

Sarah came from the other direction and leaped, swatting the ball away from Chuck. The ball went up in the air and fell…into Morgan's hands…who was standing in the end zone.

"TOUCHDOWN!" Chuck screamed as he went and hugged Morgan. Devon's team could only shake their heads in disbelief.

"Nice work, Morgan," Ellie said, giving him a hug.

"OK, now it was worth it," Morgan replied with a smile, prompting Ellie to push him away from her.

He turned and saw Casey, who also couldn't believe it. "Good catch," he told Morgan.

"Whoah." Morgan was frozen in place. "Did John Casey just pay me a compliment? Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together…"

"Sweetie, stop it," Alex said as she came up to him and gave him a kiss. Which generated a growl from Casey.

"Yeah, sound advice," Morgan answered sheepishly enough to make his own wool sweater.

"That was a lot of fun," Emma said as Mary and she came up to the group. "Now who's ready for the big feast?"

"That won't be for a few hours, right?" Sarah eked in a painful voice. "That breakfast still has me stuffed."

Emma gave her daughter a hug. "Chuck, can Molly watch the game with all of you? I want to get some quality mother time with my daughter."

"Happy to do it," he replied, giving Sarah a kiss on the cheek. He turned to Molly and Clara. "Come on, you two. You get to watch the big game with the guys!"

They shouted in glee, making everyone smile and laugh. The group went to their cars and headed to their hotels to change.


End file.
